James Robert Adair (abt. 1709 - abt. 1783)

Born about 1709 in Antrim, Ireland [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Clark (Hobson) Adair — married 29 Jul 1740 in Northumberland, Virginia

Descendants

Died about Aug 1783 at about age 74 in Bladen, North Carolina, United States

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James Adair resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776. Join: US Southern Colonies Project Discuss: southern_colonies

Biography

James Adair was born in Ireland and probably came to America in the 1730's. To date, the first record found for him is the record of his marriage to Clark Hobson in Northumberland County, Virginia in 1740 .^[1][2] James and Clark had two daughters, Sarahanna and Elizabeth while living in Virginia.

He may have moved to Johnston (later Dobbs, now Greene) County in North Carolina at the invitation of Governor Dobbs, his personal friend. Clark Adair's older sister Elizabeth Hobson Allen and her husband lived near the Adairs, and she named "her kinswoman Sarahann Adair daughter of James and Clerk Adair" as residual legatee in her 1751 will.^[3] Also in 1751 James petitioned the North Carolina government at New Bern and received a land grant of 400 acres in Johnston County.^[4] In 1755 he patented 452 acres on Continea Creek "commonly called Fairfield".^[5] Dobbs County was formed from Johnston and James Adair appears on a 1769 census of Dobbs County.^[6]

Clark Hobson Adair died before 1763. In December of 1763 James transferred ownership of his Dobbs County property to his daughter Sarahann (McTYre) reserving to himself rights to the place where his wife was buried.^[7]

The date of James' move to Bladen County is uncertain, but in 1778 he wrote his will, which named three daughters, Saranna (m. William McTyer), Elizabeth (m. John Cade), and Agnes (m. John Gibson). The family had apparently moved south since the will was probated in Bladen County and he named property on a place called Wilkinson's Swamp.

The most notable Whig of south Robeson, Archibald McKissack, witnessed Adair's will which was probated in Bladen County. In it he left an inheritance to Robert Adair of County Antrim.

Last Will and Testament

James Adair made his will in Bladen County, North Carolina, on 21 September 1778. The date of its probate is uncertain because the records of this courthouse were destroyed by fire.^[8]

Following is a transcription based on Harlee:

WILL OF JAMES ADAIR In the name of God, "Amen." I, James Adair in Bladen County in North Carolina, being weak but praises be to the Almighty God, in perfect sense and memory, I do humbly make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following: I do recommend my soul to God who gave it hoping through the merits of my Lord and Blessed Savior Jesus Christ to obtain pardon of all my sins. My body I commit to the grave to be buried.

My Temporal Estate my just debts being paid I do humbly appoint my loving daughter Saranna McTyre my whole and sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament.

I give unto Robert Adair or his heirs near the town of Billymansborough and Nutrann a short mile of Gilgoram in the county of Antrim in Ireland ten pounds.

I give unto James Box or his heirs in the Island of Bennet the sum of nine pounds.

I give unto Alexander Johnston or his heirs in Ireland or his heirs in the county of Chester, Pennsylvania, the sum of seventeen pounds all proclamation money.

I give unto my daughter Saraanna McTyre, all my lands or improvements in Wilkinsons Swamp together with all my negroes and their increase to wit: Four negroes Pomp, Babby, Sam and Jack, two negro women named Hannah and Nelly, one negro girl named Lucy, my personal and real Estate both within and without doors, crop and stock together with all money, bonds, judgments, notes of hand, book accounts and debts whatsoever and whomsoever during her natural life and when my daughter Saraanna McTyre receives and collects in my money due on judgments, notes of hand and book debts, I desire it may be put out immediately on good security mortgages on improved lands and negroes until there is a fair and open trade from Guinea to this country for negro slaves, then to call in all the money into her hands immediately lay the money out in purchasing and buying negro slaves, boys and girls, and when bought then I give a part of the negroes so purchased and bought as has cost my executrix four hundred pounds proclamation money with their increase unto my daughter Elizabeth Hobson Cade during her life and at her death I give the said negroes with all their increase unto my three grandsons Stephen, James, and Washington Cade, and their heirs lawfully begotten forever, and the residue and remainder of the said purchase and bought negroes, after my daughter Cade has received her part and property as above mentioned then I give unto my daughter Susanna (sic) McTyer with all their increase during her life.

I give unto my grandson Adair McTyre the plantation whereon I now live one hundred acres more or less named Pached or Patcherly place on Wilkinson Swamp, together with all the improvements to him and his heirs lawfully begotten forever.

After my daughter Saranna McTyer's life I give unto my Grandson one plow horse and one cow and calf two sow pigs and all the working tools within and without doors, suitable for carrying on a crop and corn and provision both without and within doors, should anything happen after my daughter's life. I give all my other lands more or less unto my grandson William McTyer and his heirs lawfully begotten forever when he comes of age. I give unto my five grandchildren Adair, Elizabeth, Clark, Katrain, and William McTyer, all my negroes and their increase and my personal estate to be equally divided amongst them, to them and their heirs lawfully begotten forever after Saranna McTyre life.

I do give the free use of my means to my daughter Cades family as long as my daughter Saranna McTyre and Elizabeth Hobson Cade live convient one to another. 'I give unto my daughter Agnes Gibson and to John Gibson one Shilling sterling.

I do desire my daughter Saranna McTyer take my daughter Agnes Gibson into her family should it so happen she is a widow and only one child and no good home, and maintain she and her child during widowhood and until her child comes of age, in meat drink lodging washing.

I do desire none of my estate may be sold by order of Court, when goods come as cheap as they have in the year 1774. Then I do desire my Executrix will buy each of my daughters, Elizabeth Hobson Cade and Agnes Gibson a gown of Black Crepe and mourning ring.

In testimony of this my last Will and Testament I hereunto set my hand and seal, this twenty first day of September one thousand seven hundred and seventy eight.

James Adair (seal) Signed sealed and Witnessed Archd McKissack Benilla Bullard ^[9]

Court Documents involving James Adair & Gideon Gibson

Apr 1766 Craven Co, SC, Gidion (his seal) GIBSON, Gentleman, quit claims to JAMES ADAIR of Dobbs C, NC a certain number of negroes in a bill of sale given under the hands and seals of JOHN & AGNES GIBSON of Craven Co, SC. Witt JOHN CADE, JNO GIBSON, SARANN McTYER.

21 Mar 1767 JAMES ADAIR in Dobbs Co, NC do hereby revoke all powers and letters and appoint my trusty friend GIDION GIBSON in Craven Co, SC my true & lawful attorney to recover of Benjamin Street the sum of 514pd 8s and interest due me. The said GEDION GIBSON may permit my two loving daughters in said county, SARAN MACKTYR and ELIZABETH HOBSON CADE, to my dau SARAANN McTYRE to allow her use, labour, benefit and hire of my four negroes named Phillip, Achilles, Hannah and Little Nell: to my dau ELIZABETH HOBSON CADE , to permit her hire of my three negroes, Old Nell, Judith Nell & Jacob, shall not permit my two daus to be without some one of the said negroes to be always doing their House work to each of them to keep a negro in the house that is able & sufficient to do the house labor. witt JOHN CADE, SARAANN McTYER, ELIZ'BETH HOBSON CADE. pr 3 Sep 1767 SC Misc. Rec. Vol ll p82-86

21 Jul 1767 SC, C'n County. JAMES ADAIR of Dobbs Co, NC for natural love and affection to my dau AGNES ADAIR now wife of JOHN GIBSON of Craven Co, SC, 20sh paid by GIDION GIBSON my trustee, four negroes named Frank,Lucy, Candie, & Sampson. witt ELIZABETH HOBSON CADE, JOHN CADE, SARAANN McTYER. SC Misc, Records Vol ll p89-91

20 Aug 1767 GEDION GIBSON, Gentleman, on Great Pedee in Craven Co, SC, for 700pd, to JAMES ADAIR of Dobbs Co, NC, negroes Lucey, Kilis, Pleasant, Candice, Hannah, Nell & Judith. Witt JOHN CADE, JOHN GIBSON, SARANN McTYRE.

21 Aug 1767 JAMES ADAIR of Dobbs Co, NC, to GIDION GIBSON of Craven Co, SC, 800pd, one woman Pleasant, child Judith, man Achilles. [Killis?] witt ELIZABETH HOBSON CADE, JOHN CADE, SARAANN McTYER. pr JOHN CADE SC Misc. Records Vol OO p89

21 Aug 1767 Gidion Gibson for love and affection to my son John Gibson of Craven Co, SC, and in order to make some provision for my said son, and for 20shillings paid by James Adair, my trustee, three negroes named Achillis, Pleasant and Pleasant’s young daughter named Judith. Gidion Gibson (LS), Wit: Elizabeth Hobson Cade, John Cade, Saraanne McTyer. Proved before John Alran, J.P. for Craven Co., by the oath of John Cade 3 Sep 1767. Rcd’d 16 June 1769. [Misc. Records Vol. OO 1767-1771, pp. 91-92]

" Surry and Wilkes County, NC Taxables", Vol. i, 1771-1777 by William Perry Johnson, cpy 1974. John Gipson is on page 33 in the Benjamin Cleveland District which is today, Wilkes County. He shows: John Gipson, Negro Killis, Frank, Plesent, and Luse, 5 polls. [1775]

Dec 26, 1785 Bill of sale John Gibson of Davidson Co., NC [Tennessee] sold to Lardner Clark of same four negroes; Pleasant, Juda, Jim and Achilles

Research Notes

Easily Conflated

These three (3) persons are easily conflated:

• This James Adair (abt.1709-abt.1783)
• James Adair (abt.1715-abt.1784)
• James Adair (abt.1710-abt.1776)

Disputed Origin/Conflation

Although the claim is made in many newspaper articles, a memorial placed by the Colonial Dames of America (see attached image), the NCPedia, and other places, this James Adair is NOT James Adair, author of the "History of the American Indians." This dispute is the subject of the following G2G thread.

The original source for this claim seems to be an unsourced book, Adair History and Genealogy, compiled, edited and published by James Barnett Adair in 1924^[10] which was then used as the source for a 1934 book by a man named William Curry Harllee called Kinfolks : a genealogical and biographical record of Thomas and ELizabeth (Stuart) Harllee, Andrew and Agnes (Cade) Fulmore,^[11] Both books conflate the two James Adairs, although they are two totally different and unrelated men. James Adair the author was living among the Indians by 1735, made his home in New Windsor, South Carolina, and never lived in North Carolina. A simple time line shows that James the author was documented with various Indian tribes while this James was living and raising a family in Virginia and North Carolina. Two examples: from January to July of 1740 Adair-the-author is documented as participating in the War of Jenkins Ear in Georgia and Florida, while this James was marrying Clark Hobson in Northumberland County, Virginia. In February and March of 1851 Adair-the-author is caught up in a case of theft from the Cherokee^[12] while this James is petitioning the North Carolina council in New Bern, N.C. for a land grant.^[13]

Disputed Spouses

Some, without source, have identified Ann McBride (abt.1709-bef.1763) as an additional wife. There is no known basis for this claim. Please do not reattach her as a spouse without adding a reliable source.

In addition, some, without source, have identified Ester Ann Anna McBride (Hobson) Adair (1710-1785) as an additional wife. There is no known basis for this claim. Please do not reattach her as a spouse without adding a reliable source.

Disputed Children

Some, without source, have identified Nancy Jane (Adair) Stephens (1746-1835) as his daughter. There is no known source for this claim. There is no Nancy named as a daughter in his will and no evidence that he ever lived in South Carolina, where Nancy was reportedly born in 1746. Please do not reattach her as a child without adding a reliable source.

Sources

1. ↑ "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X5YK-Y36 : 29 January 2020), Clark Hobson Jr. in entry for James Adair, 1740.
2. ↑ Marriage License Records of Northumberland County, Virginia, from 1735 to 1795: As Recorded in Clerk's Fee Books. " The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography Vol. 47, No. 1 (Jan., 1939), pp. 41-47. JSTOR.org. James Adair and Clark Hobson, Jr., July 29, 1740/
3. ↑ Tanscript at Allen.
4. ↑ [1]
5. ↑ North Carolina Land Grants. Microfilm publication, 770 rolls. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina. Johnston County, #118, grant #272.
6. ↑ Transcript at NCGenWeb census.
7. ↑ Dobbs County, North Carolina. Book 76, p259.
8. ↑ William Curry Harllee, Kinfolks, 4 vols., (New Orleans, La.: Searcy & Pfaff, 1934-7), 2:1245-47; citing Elizabethtown, Bladen Co., North Carolina, Record of Wills No. 1, p. 476; digital images, Ancestry.com, (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/11593/ : accessed 23 Jun 2021) [subscription required].
9. ↑ Will of James Adair, 1778. "North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939L-JG94-9Z?cc=1867501&wc=32LV-SPN%3A169763101%2C169827801 : 21 May 2014), Bladen > Wills, 1766-1883, Vol. 1 > image 273 of 337; county courthouses, North Carolina.
10. ↑ Digitized at 1924.
11. ↑ Digitized on Ancestry at Harllee
12. ↑ Journal of the Commons House of Assembly of South ... 1750 Apr. 23/1751 Aug. 31. image at commons.
13. ↑ [2]

See also:

• The Search for Mrs. James ADAIR.